


Anti-Type

by PokeWriter



Category: Pocket Monsters | Pokemon (Anime), Pocket Monsters | Pokemon - All Media Types
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-01-16
Updated: 2016-04-08
Packaged: 2018-05-14 05:50:24
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 3,077
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5731756
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PokeWriter/pseuds/PokeWriter
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>There are a thousand ways the world changes every day. But nothing has ever touched the most intrinsic and involved part of the Pokemon world until now. The set, defined rules for survival run a new risk now, and there is more than just children caught in the crossfire.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

There were days when Ash Ketchum seriously regretted leaving the relative safety of Pallet Town. Usually, they were few and far in between - the life of a Pokemon trainer wasn't glamorous, but they were certainly rewarding. There was something about the world that the sleepy hometown he'd lived in couldn't possibly keep him away from. So he'd left home, decided to reach for the stars above him in pursuit of the sun. Trying to be a Pokemon Master was an impossibility, most people would tell him - like a Pidgey flying to the sun. But he'd lived in relative safety for too long - he may have been a child among  _majuu_ , but he was a determined one, willing to step off of the path that had been safely created for him, instead taking the wild, gnarled paths that couldn't guarantee him his protection.  
  
The same safety he'd left behind when he unintentionally triggered the protective instincts of one very violent Pokemon, unidentified to his Pokedex, but recognizable to him. The single Pokeball given to him designed to stop the monster before him was too far to reach, and his partner's Pokeball laid at the bottom of a ditch. He looked at that snarling maw, the massive, violent Pokemon ready to tear his throat out, and reached, desperately praying to any Legendary who could hear him, that he would survive long enough to grab the empty ball and throw it at the monster, even if the capture device didn't hold.  
  
Hopefully something out there thought his life was worth saving. His hand finally closed around the sphere, and he was running his thumb over the black center, priming the spherical object before finally throwing it. The center dot hit his target's forearm and bounced off, a black light swallowing the creature whole and sucking it in with a bright click that belied the danger of the situation. Now all Ash could do was scramble for his things and pray it held long enough to reach the professor's.


	2. KANTO - Pallet Town

**Four Weeks Prior**

Ash’s hands dusted off dirt from his jeans, frowning at the darkening skies above his head. Was it five already? He could have sworn it was supposed to be three. Unless there was another storm shaking up. It seemed that Legendaries were crawling out of the woodwork everywhere these days, causing storms and trouble. Shaking his head, he plodded off towards home, the fifteen-year-old looking forward to a hot meal and a shower with his name on it. The streets of Pallet Town were full these days – the hustle and bustle of scientists coming and going never ceasing to impress him, even though this had been going on for nearly five years now. He waved at a few of them – they’d been kind enough to come by now and again to check up on his mom’s Mr. Mime – and they wave back, calling greetings out cheerfully. He waves back, calling his own enthusiastic greeting to them before going inside, tugging his shoes off and placing them on the side. Rae – his mom’s Mr. Mime – shuffled over, signing his greeting to the teenager.

“Hey to you too Rae,” he greeted the friendly Pokemon with a smile. Rae smiled at him, waving him away towards the kitchen, where a hot meal sat under a plate. “Mom! I’m home!” Ash called out, receiving no answer. He poked his head back out into the hall, and Rae, sweeping the floor of loose grass clippings, twisted a hand a little into a familiar gesture. “Oh – she’s at the restaurant again then.” He nodded in understanding to the offered answer, before grinning and thanking the Pokemon. “I’ll go help out after dinner then.”

Amusingly, that seemed to irritate Rae, and the Mr. Mime instead shoved a rather-official looking envelope in his direction. “Oh? I got mail?” He looked a little surprised in spite of himself, before recognizing Professor Oak’s atrocious handwriting. “Well, I suppose I can check it out first…” He muttered, setting it on the table so he could properly look for the letter opener his mother usually kept in the hall drawer. It’d probably take the better part of a week to read it, Ash thought humorously, unless Gary or Daisy had taken pity on Ash and typed it. He was relatively sure Gary at least could read the Unown lettering. It amused him, when he wasn’t pulling his hair out.

And hallelujah – it looked like this letter was typed after all. Ash put the envelope away – he liked to keep them when he could – and focused on the contents.

* * *

 

_Dear Ash,_

_If you’re still interested in attending your Pokemon journey, please drop by the lab so you can take your exams and qualify for this year. I understand that after five years of being told that it was no longer safe, you might have some hesitations, but if you do wish to continue in your desire to join the leagues of trainers – well._

_We could use all the trainers we can get. Unfortunately, the guidelines to being a Pokemon Trainer have been increased, due to the upheaval of the discovery from five years ago. But if you still feel like it’s for you, come on by. Once you’ve taken your preliminary exam, I’ll personally fill you in on what’s changed._

_Quite frankly, I’m very glad neither you nor Gary were travelling that year. The results we had gotten back from our investigation were terrifying._

_In good faith,_

_Professor Samuel Oak, PHD in Pokemon Typing and Behavioral Sciences_

_Indigo League Disclaimer_  
This letter and any paperwork transmitted with it are confidential and intended solely for the use of the individual or entity to whom they are addressed. If you are not the named addressee you should not disseminate, distribute, retain, or copy this letter or any attachments. Should you have received this letter in error, please destroy and notify the sender immediately.  
Certified by the Indigo League and approved by Professor Samuel Oak.


	3. KANTO - Pallet Town II

Ash had to take a breath for a moment. It had been nearly five years since he’d heard anything back on starting his League journey through Kanto. He’d genuinely thought that the League was discontinuing the trainer program, until the official announcement by Lance stated that there had been a new development in the Pokemon world. It had required that the standards be reorganized before taking in any new travelling trainers. Though the last he’d heard, Ace Trainers and the Pokemon Ranger programs were allowed to take in new members, so long as they took responsibility for training and educating their students. Shaking fingers set the paper down, breathing deeply as Rae shuffled over, concern on the Pokemon’s face. Rae reached out, and a gentle tap helped Ash relax.

“I’m fine Rae,” He promised shakily, shuddering slightly. “Just some big news.” The Mr. Mime nodded, though he cast a suspicious glance in the direction of the paper. “I might be able to go on my journey after all.” At that, Rae brightened, before sobering instantly and signing wildly. Ash followed his enthusiastic gestures, before chuckling and nodding. “Yeah, they just had to reevaluate some stuff is all, I’m sure it’s fine.” He patted Rae on the head, before going back into the kitchen. “I’ll be heading out in about an hour, okay Rae?” The Mr. Mime nodded – once Ash was fed and out of the house, he’d be allowed to join Delia in the restaurant. Professor Oak would probably let him stay the night in a spare room, if he stayed late enough to warrant it.

A hot meal and a shower later found Ash walking with Rae towards Rising Sun, his mom’s restaurant. It was busy tonight – clearly the scientists had finished for the day, and in the throng of people, Daisy was flitting around, helping his mother with the serving. He waved at her, before bidding Rae goodbye and heading towards the tall, imposing structure that Professor Oak’s building had become. Halfway there, he ran into a welcome face, and a slightly less welcome greeting.

“Hey, Ashy-boy!” Gary’s voice was loud, but even though the nickname drew a wince, Ash greeted him back, honest fondness in his voice.

“Nice to see you too Gary,” He answered dryly, a little amused.

Their rivalry had dimmed in recent years, former animosity set to the side in the face of what seemed to be a crisis that could have resulted in a lot of problems for Pallet town. With nothing to get quite so excited about, they’d found other avenues of interest – Gary in Pokemon research, and Ash in Pokemon Care and Breeding. That wasn’t to say they didn’t compete with each other – they were still competitive, even if it took different form now.

“You got a letter too?” Gary asked, hands finding their way to his pockets as the two walked to the end of the line that had gathered in front of the professor’s research lab. Ash nodded shortly.

“Yeah, I got home about an hour ago and Rae gave it to me.” Ash couldn’t help but grin at the slight shudder his friend gave at the mention of his mother’s Mr. Mime. Rae rather liked Gary as a person, which made it even funnier that Gary was so afraid of the Pokemon. Though Gary did try his best to maintain cordial relations with Rae, it wasn’t hard to tell he wasn’t all that fond of him.

The line crawled ahead as the pair shared more idle chatter. Gary had been doing some work on the Pokedex – mostly bug fixes and information updating, but a few new features seemed to be of interest. Particularly the new Egg-care program that Ash had listened to with rapt attention. He’d love to get one of his own one of these days – but Pokedexes could be costly for those who didn’t have a trainer’s license.

Finally, the two entered the building, and Ash curiously looked around the inside. The building was certainly bigger than it had been – there had been nearly a dozen expansions to the research center since the events of five years ago. From what Ash remembered, the professor had suddenly been granted all of those funding requests he’d been asking for, as well as a rather large boost in assistants. He wouldn’t have been nearly so curious if it hadn’t been for the fact that the reasons for the change had been _extremely_ hush-hush. It had gotten to the point where Lance had been forced to go on TV and inform the general populace that what happened was classified as Indigo-level clearance until further notice. The interest had quickly died away – or at least, nobody was admitting to being interested.

Finally, the two entered a rather large room, where the professor waved them both closer.

“There you two are!” He beamed at them, and the two shared a smile with him in return. “I’ve been waiting for you – get caught in the line?” He chuckled, as they both rolled their eyes. Oak smiled and handed them their papers. “I’m sure you remember the drill – just fill them out and bring them back when you’re done – and at the bottom, put what starter you’re interested in.” Both of them nodded at him, bid each other adieu, and went their separate ways to take their test.

It didn’t take long. Lucky for Ash, he’d been keeping up with his studies while working with his local Nurse Joy, so he returned about a minute before Gary, offering the paper to Professor Oak, who hummed and nodded at the answers.

“Ah, excellent – a perfect score lad, just like I expected. Though I wasn’t expecting you to pick that as your starter – It looks like Nurse Joy’s found yet another convert to her cause,” He chuckled good-naturedly, and Ash cracked a grin.

“It wasn’t an easy battle – it took her a while, but after working with her and listening to her rant about the subject, I can’t say I disagree.” The professor was about to say more in answer, but Gary walked in then, offering the paper to his grandfather, who scanned through it, humming every now and then.

“Excellent Gary – wonderful work. You two just get settled down, and I’ll start the presentation once everyone’s here. You two were the last to arrive, so you go ahead and sit down. The presentation will start momentarily.” The pair obeyed, noting how serious he had become suddenly. As the noise quieted, the lights began to turn off, leaving all but the front of the room dark.


	4. KANTO – Pallet Town III

“Welcome aspiring trainers.” Professor Oak’s voice was serious – nothing like the normally cheerful and lax man that Ash was used to. “I’d like to thank you all for being patient with us for the last five years – it’s been a difficult time on us all.” A ripple of amused agreement left them, before everyone grew quiet again. “Now, as you all know, the Viridian Forest has been sealed off since the events, though you’ll occasionally hear about League excursions I’m sure you no doubt have been very invested in. As of today, you, along with the rest of the world, will be learning why and what’s happened since our discovery in the Viridian forest.” The Professor smiles indulgently, and he waited until the interested died down. “Many of you here were originally going to be part of the Young Trainer Initiative, so I’m sure many of you remember the original pathway all aspiring trainers were required to memorize. As of today, the rules and route have changed because of this development.” The professor proceeded to pull up a pair of photos on the screen tapping them.

“Recently, a new development occurred similar to the growing collection of shiny Pokemon that I’m sure all of you might covet here and there.” A few nervous giggles left everyone as the observed the images before them. “Now, it took some time for us to find out whether or not this particular phenomena was true. Well, at least until we chose to do deeper research into the Viridian Forest.” A new set of photos appeared, and everyone’s expressions turned from mildly interested to surprise. On the right was a rather normal Noctowl – everything down to its coloring was average. Directly next to it was the same species… Or at least what Ash supposed was the same species.

“Say hello to the Anti-Type of Noctowl. As far as we know, this Pokemon is identical in every way to their normal counterparts except for their typing. The Noctowl’s Anti Type is – as far as we know – Ghost/Electric.” The room was silent, before it burst into chatter, questions being flung a mile a minute to the professor. “Calm down – that’s not the only reason we’ve stopped you from travelling however.” The room slowly calmed down, and the professor coughed, adjusting his collar, looking a touch nervous.

“Now, while this is considered rather inconvenient, it’s hardly the worst thing in the world, I’m sure you agree. But any Anti-Typed Pokemon – or as we’ve begun to call them again, majuu – are incredibly dangerous. Many of these Pokemon are outcast among their own species, and forced into hostile situations – they adapt and grow faster than any of their species into monstrous versions of their breed.” The room was silent as everyone stared at him. “They have no concept of honor, as we know it. No chance for running away, or honorable surrender. They do not understand things words like stop, please, or surrender. They fight until they are captured or killed. If you see one, I advise that you run. Swiftly.” The dubious expressions on everyone’s faces melted away into concern, before murmurs rippled through the crowd.

“How are we supposed to protect ourselves from them?” One trainer called out, drawing the Professor’s attention. The man smiled at him, pleased with the question.

“Excellent question. The League has been working around the clock since we’ve discovered them to design a new kind of Pokeball – made to hold them and give you all enough time to get away.” The professor explained patiently. “They’re known as Anti-balls. An assistant will pass one out to each of you.” The spheres were passed out, the black sphere shining as if it had chrome plating. Ash ran his thumb over the smooth surface, feeling two indents halfway up the upper sphere. At his touch, they glowed with a dark purple light He looked at it in interest. It wasn’t red like the typical Pokepower, now that he observed it, and after a moment, everyone looked up.

“As some of you have noticed, it is not made of Neon Pokepower like most other Pokeballs. Instead, the Pokepower is made of Argon Pokepower, for a more secure and stable capture. Pokeballs are designed with the use of Neon Pokepower primarily for safety reasons – most Pokemon are not durable or sturdy enough to withstand the force of the comparatively volatile Argon Pokepower you see. Similar Pokepowers that we tried were the Krypton and Xenon Pokepower supplements – both of which could not coagulate into the appropriately ordered plasma and caused deformations when used.” Several trainers cringed at that. “However, Anti-Typed Pokemon seem to generate a particular aura that resonates well with the Argon Pokepower – which has so far resulted in a near perfect catch rate – if not a perfect hold rate. These Pokeballs will be transported to your sponsoring Professor’s lab, and you must sign for them, if you want to keep them. But train them at your own risk – they are dangerous, and we have no idea how they will respond to a trainer.” The lights began to brighten, and everyone blinked, looking up at the ceiling for a moment before realizing the briefing is over.

“Please keep one of these Anti-Type balls on you at all times.” The League official near the door said crisply, prompting everyone to clip the given Pokeball to their belts and supply jackets. “If you use one at all, one will be reissued to you for free – but abusing the privilege that these represent will result in a full revocation of your Trainer’s license. All Trainers from Pallet Town and Viridian City, please stay behind for a revised map of your journey.” The rest of the trainers filed out, leaving about twenty or so left in the room. “Alright – let’s get started.” The official muttered, standing up front with Professor Oak.


End file.
